THE THEME:

The 2017 Met Gala theme is “Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between,” and it celebrates the work of Rei Kawakubo, the founder and designer of Commes des Garçons. According to the Costume Institute, this is only the second time the Met has honoured a living designer in this way—the first was Yves Saint Laurent back in 1983.

THE EXHIBITION:

The Metropolitan Museum of Art will hold an exclusive exhibition of Kawakubo’s work from Thursday, May 4. Featuring 100-120 pieces from 1981 onwards, WWD believes the exhibition is set to rival McQueen's "Savage Beauty" Met Gala exhibition, which drew 660,000 visitors.

THE GUESTS:

Where to begin? You can expect a host of A-list celebrities to hit the red carpet again this year, with Taylor Swift, Rihanna and Blake Lively taking centre stage in 2016. If you’re a mere mortal, your chances of rubbing shoulders with fashion’s elite are slim, but apparently if you have a spare $30,000 kicking around, you might be able to buy your way in. Side note: did you know the Met Gala red carpet is over 45 metres long?

THE CO-CHAIRS:

Along with Vogue publisher Anna Wintour, Katy Perry and Pharrell Williams will play co-chairs at the Met Gala 2017 event. They’ll also be joined by celebrity couple Gisele Bundchen and Tom Brady.